Volume 12, Issue 2

Adding Comments

We invite Member's comments on any Journal issue or any individual Journal Article. You will find the space for comments at the bottom of each Journal and Article page. You can also send comments directly to the editor at: journal.editor@birthpsychology.com. Members can also be notified of all new comments posted by updating their Notification Settings.

From "Dolly" to surviving septuplets to the recent case of a child legally declared to have no birth parents (because she was conceived in a petri dish from a donated egg and sperm and gestated by a surrogate mother) there has been an explosion of public interest in the complicated issues surrounding fetal life, fertility drugs, cloning, the welfare of mothers and infants and the legalities emanating from these problems. Under investigation are not only the scientific and legal implication of these questions, but the moral, cultural and spiritual concerns which must be considered as well. This interest underlines the increasing public awareness of the outstanding contributions of the three author's whose works appear in this issue. Thomas Verny, M.D., the founder of APPPAH and the Journal, reminds us (in this published version of his address delivered at the 1997 APPPAH Congress in San Francisco) that growing societal perception must be reinforced with appropriate action. Dr. David Chamberlain, the President of APPPAH, offers some ground breaking commentary on the mind, body, spirit connection between the mother and the fetal child, in his article, Early and Very Early Parenting: New Territories. John Sonne, M.D., a frequent and thought-provoking contributor, in Magic Babies challenges us to consider the Brave New World implications of scientific and technological innovations allowing, not only the manipulation of the natural processes of pregnancy and birth, but the creation of subsequent psychological impairments only dimly perceived by the perpetrators.

It is also a pleasure to bring to your attention two editorial colleagues. Maureen Wolfe, CNM, is not only the Executive Director of APPPAH but also the Copy Editor of the Journal. Ms. Wolfe, who has practiced midwifery on three continents, was a presenter at the last APPPAH Congress and along with Willam Emerson and Barbara Findeisen a member of the planning triumvirate which made the Congress, around the theme of Birth, Love and Relationships, an outstanding success. New to the Journal, is Jenny Wade, Ph.D., who has recently assumed the role of Associate Editor. Dr. Wade, who for twenty years was a management consultant with Fortune 550 companies, currently teaches at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, in Palo Alto California. The author of a widely recognized book, Change of Mind: A Holonomic Theory of the Evolution of Consciousness, her focus of research is qualitative analysis, noetics and developmental psychology. Look for a special double issue, for Spring and Summer, edited by Jenny Wade, who is also the author of a Book Review in this issue.

Ruth Johnson Carter, Ph.D.

Editor-in-Chief

Georgia College and State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

JOURNAL OF PRENATAL AND PERINATAL PSYCHOLOGY AND HEALTH publishes research and clinical articles from the cutting edge of the science of prenatal and perinatal psychology and health. The journal, published quarterly since 1986, is dedicated to the in-depth exploration human reproduction and pregnancy and the mental and emotional development of the unborn and newborn child.

JOPPPAH invites original articles based on clinical work, experimental research, case studies, and self- report. Please review the guidelines for contributing authors by clicking on the link below and submit your articles to
journal.editor@birthpsychology.com. We look forward to hearing from you.